Leisure was born when singers/songwriters/guitarists David Criddle and Jude Hayden met at Miami University in 1989 and began collaborating. They self-recorded and released two CDs, Lemonade Stand Still Life and Cosmonaut, as The Bees before recruiting drummer/raconteur Michael Christian Budd and guitarist/misanthrope Mark Griffin in 2002. They changed their name to Leisure at the beginning of 2006, and have become increasingly listless as a result.

For historical trainspotters (or former band members who delight in seeing their names in print), a detailed history of The Bees can be found here.